Sunday, February 3, 2008

Chocolate Mousse Tartlettes

I LOVE chocolate desserts. When I'm choosing dessert from a menu, I always look for the chocolate options first. I'm a sucker for any rich, decadent chocolate dessert. This recipe is for a pie that my mom used to make when I was growing up. It's an old recipe from Julia Childs. I like it because it's got rich chocolate flavor but yet isn't heavy like a cheesecake. It's a chocolate mousse in a crust. I've adapted her recipe slightly and instead of one pie I've made them into tartlettes and individual servings.Vote for me in the Death by Chocolate contestChocolate Mousse PieCrust: 1 1/2cups graham cracker crumbs1/4 cup brown sugar1/8 teaspoon nutmeg1 ounce melted semi-sweet chocolate1/3 cup melted butterMix together and press into a 9 inch pie or tart pan or into tartlette pans or small molds.

Melt chocolate in double boiler over hot water. Cool slightly. Mix together in an upright mixer or with a hand mixer the cream cheese and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Add vanilla, salt, and the egg yolks. Mix only until well incorporated. Fold the melted chocolate into the cream cheese mixture. Beat egg white until stiff but not dry. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup of brown sugar and beat until stiff and dry. Take a small amount of the egg white and mix into the chocolate cream cheese mixture to lighten it then gently fold in the rest of the egg whites. Place the cream in mixing bowl and whip until about double in volume add the Gran Marnier and whip until it holds soft peaks. Fold about half of the whipped cream in to the chocolate cream cheese mixture. Reserving the rest of the cream for the top of the pie. Pour into prepared crust and chill overnight. Use reserved whipped cream to decorate the top of the pie.

Thanks dhanggit! I've got my fingers crossed;)Thanks Susan,I'm not sure what happened when I published this post but some how the brown sugar ended up at the bottom of the recipe...weird. Anyway it's in the right place now:)